Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”

“Oh, you’re such a good man.” She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”

“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

At dawn, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked.

“Nothing.” I said.

“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”

1. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

A．show she was familiar with the city	B．see some places for the last time
C．let the driver earn more money	D．reach the destination on time

2.The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.

A．wanted to do her a favor

B．shut off the meter by mistake

C．had received her payment in advance

D．was in a hurry to take other passengers

3.What can we learn from the story?

A．Giving is always a pleasure.

B．People should respect each other.

C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

D．People should learn to appreciate others’ concern.

 

 

第二节 语法填空（共10小题; 每小题1.5分，满分15分）

         阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为31～40的相应位置上。

One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods door to door found that he only had one dime (一角硬币)  31     (leave). He was hungry 32     he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.

However, he lost his nerve when a   33   （love） young woman opened the door. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank 34 slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me 35 ,” she replied. “Mother  36 (teach) me never to accept pay for a kindness.”

Years later the young woman became critically ill and was sent to a big city, 37 Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he hurried 38 her room and recognized her at once. He determined to do his best to save her life.

 After a long struggle, the battle was won. When the bill was sent to her room, she was afraid to open it 39 it would take the rest of her life to pay it 40 . Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words...

 “Paid in full with a glass of milk.”

 

—Here you are! Two pounds of meat and a dozen eggs.

—Thank you. How much do you ________ for them?

A. owe    B. offer   C. charge    D. cost

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little ___1______ All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. When she heard her daddy say to her 2         mother with whispered desperation（绝望）, "Only a miracle（奇迹） can save him now", the little girl went to her bedroom and took out her piggy bank. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Then she   3      her way six blocks to the local drugstore（药店）.

"And what do you want?" asked the chemist.

    "It’s for my little brother," the girl answered back. "He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a  4        . His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my   5______says only a miracle can save him."

"We don’t sell miracles here, child. I’m sorry," the chemist said, smiling  6       at the little girl.

    In the shop was a   7       customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"

    "I don’t know," she replied. "He’s really sick and mommy says he needs   8      . But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought my  9     ."

    "How much do you have?" asked the man.

    "One dollar and eleven cents, _____10 ____I can try and get some more," she answered quietly.

    "Well, what a coincidence（巧合）," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents? The  11     price of a miracle for little brothers. Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents."

    That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon（外科医生）. The operation was completed without   12     and it wasn’t long before __13__________was home again and doing well.

The little girl was____14______. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the  15     of a little child.

A dog          B sister            C brother.         D father

A. tearful            B. helpless               C. hopeful                 D. kind

A. followed        B. made                C. took                      D. found

A. favor       B. doctor                C. hope                   D. miracle

A doctor        B mum            C family           D daddy

A. gently         B. sadly                C. strangely        D. coldly

A. well-dressed  B. kind-hearted     C. well-behaved       D. good-looking

A. a doctor      B. a surgeon        C. an operation      D. a kindness

A. suggestions     B. wishes         C. ideas                D. savings

A but          B when           C so              D because

A. same        B. exact            C. proper                 D. necessary

A. difficulty      B. delay            C. charge            D. result

A the chemist    B  the doctor    C Andrew          D the girl

A satisfy         B happy         C frightened        D angry

A. cleverness     B. faith           C. courage            D. devotion

These shoes look very good. I wonder _______.

A. how much cost they are    B. how much do they cost

C. how much they cost       D. how much are they cost